bitter assumption
by squeak
Summary: this is my first angel fic...its a love story with connor and a person named regan. i apologize for any inaccuracies...thanks. chapter six now up. ciao=)
1. one

ASSUMPTION  
  
Connor sat at his window, not thinking, just looking through the layers of dust and filth and streaked grime that made everything on the opposite side of the window look just as dirty; brown greedy people living their happy lives without any knowledge of what went on.  
  
Connor's mind slipped into reverie, back to a time when he wasn't part of this world, a time when, even if everything wasn't great, he at least understood how things worked. And for a fleeting moment he missed the place he grew up in. he missed Holtz, the man who raised him as if Connor were his own son; he missed knowing and understanding; he missed. a lot of things, but he was here now, and he had just learned to live with the man who was his biological father.  
  
His father: a vampire with a soul. Connor's conception is still a mystery. Not only was his mother turned back into a vampire recently before she'd conceived, but his father had been a vampire for hundreds of years. Vampires are incapable of reproduction.  
  
Connor sighed as he stood up from the windowsill, choosing to forget the issues that invaded his mind. After looking around his small, dark, dusty loft-like apartment, he pulled on a jacket and left.  
  
~~~  
  
The streets were unusually full that night, leaving Connor with a sense of unease. Why are there so many people around? Connor continued to walk, turning down narrow back alleys. Even those were being occupied by more than their usual inhabitants of stray, flea-covered cats.  
  
Connor rounded a corner and saw the Hyperion, the hotel that his dad ran "Angel Investigations" from. As soon as he saw it, Connor knew that something wasn't right there. He climbed up to a balcony on the second floor and cracked open a window. After sneaking down the hallway unnoticed, he peered over the railing that opened into the main lobby. There he saw two humans, one of which was sent to a different dimension for five years, one demi-demon, one full demon, and one vampire with a soul. They weren't the only ones there however.  
  
A very large, very ugly demon was towering over them, a menacing look on his face. The demon began to laugh. "Did you really think you could stop me with just a few hits and kicks?" Connor changed positions slightly so he could get a better look at the skin-eating demon. He stood between the good guys and their weapons cupboard. Sure they could have sidetracked him while one made a run for a silver sword, but it wouldn't have gone over so well. When Connor moved he noticed a group of demon minions standing just out of view from anyone else. One move and they'd all be dead.  
  
Reaching down, Connor felt his ankle, then made sure the strap was tight. Walking around the railing, Connor decided which was the best move to make. Connor saw the futile efforts being made by Angel and the others to knock down the grey beast with high kicks and punches, and realized that he'd better do something soon.  
  
He hopped over the railing and landed gently on his feet directly behind Fred, who promptly let out a yelp of surprise.  
  
Connor smiled that cocky smile that he had without a doubt inherited from his father.  
  
"Connor, what are you doing here?" Angel asked.  
  
"I just thought I'd go for a little stroll," replied Connor casually, slowly walking closer to the demon that had them all trapped.  
  
"Watch your distance, human," the demon spat, purple spittle running down his chin.  
  
"Com on now, Greer. Don't be like that. Why are you after my dad anyway?"  
  
"Steven?"  
  
"Connor."  
  
"A demon's a demon, Steven. And I'm a hungry one. Sorry."  
  
"Me too," relied Connor before using his fast reflexes to pull a silver dagger out of its ankle sheath, which he promptly flung into the oozing center of the demon's forehead.  
  
The grey monster fell backwards, but exploded before it could hit the ground, sending blood and guts everywhere.  
  
"That was disgusting," Cordelia shrieked, pulling a long strand of demon innards off the front of her shirt. Connor laughed slightly.  
  
"Greer?" Angel asked. "You knew him?"  
  
"Yeah, we went to school together," Connor answered sarcastically. "But that should be the least of your worries right now."  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked Gunn as Connor walked through puddles of blood to retrieve his dagger. "The, demon's dead. For the time being we have nothing to worry about."  
  
"Right, well, have fun then," Connor replied, turning to leave out the other door of the hotel, and leaving the others confused. At that moment, the demon's minions, cast away from various species of evil, burst through the door. These, Connor knew, Angel and his gang could handle easily now that the head honcho was out of the way.  
  
~~~  
  
Connor wandered the streets, killing vampires and other creepies while protecting the innocent. He got back to the loft at about two a.m., only to be greeted by a curious, slightly furious father. "What are you doing here?" asked Connor bleakly, not showing the slightest bit of enthusiasm.  
  
"It was really nice of you to tell us about those other demons," replied Angel.  
  
"They weren't all demons."  
  
"Connor!" Angel said in frustration. "You shouldn't have even been in the hotel, not that we don't appreciate the help. But you could have at least told us about them."  
  
"Why didn't you know about them yourselves? For such a varied group of talents, you'd think that at least one of you would have been able to figure it out. Which brings me to another point. How did all five of you manage to get yourselves trapped like that? Well done, dad."  
  
Angel's expression showed that he was losing his patience quickly. "Thank you for the sarcasm, Connor. I don't know how it happened. We were all there discussing Cordy's vision, and then suddenly there was this huge, slimy demon that we could do nothing to get passed. Even Lorne's screeching couldn't move it."  
  
"That's because he was deaf," replied Connor casually as he climbed onto the cold windowsill.  
  
"Then how could he hear us?"  
  
"I said deaf, not stupid. He could read your minds. He knew your actions before you made them. That's why you couldn't get passed him. But that still doesn't explain how he got there in the first place."  
  
"I told you, he just showed up, probably through a portal or something." Angel thought a moment. "If that monster could read minds, then how come he didn't notice what you were doing?"  
  
"Ulterior motives. Hide what you're thinking and give him something else."  
  
Angel stood from the straight-backed wooden chair upon which he was sitting before asking, "How do you know all of this?"  
  
"You learn a few things when you grow up in a Hell dimension." Connor stood up from the sill. "Would you leave now? I'm going to bed."  
  
~~~  
  
After angel left, Connor laid in bed, thinking about what he'd said. Demons don't just appear out of nowhere, especially not Greerimeen demons. They have a purpose for showing up, whether they were called upon or have plans of their own. Connor became uneasy. Why was Greer there? Who called him? And if no one did, what were his plans? Connor tried not to think about it. Whatever the plans were, they're done now.  
  
~~~  
  
The following day, Connor went to the hotel, used the front door this time. Lorne, the green, singing, future reading demon, was on the phone, taking a call for Angel Investigations. That's strange, thought Connor. They rarely get calls in the middle of the day. It is at night when everything comes to life.  
  
Fred and Gunn came downstairs as soon as Lorne was off the phone.  
  
"Was that a call?" asked Fred. "So early? It's only nine o'clock in the morning."  
  
Lorne replied, "It seems that Connor's friends are all over the place. They don't like the light, but that doesn't seem to be stopping them. It's like they're looking for something, only they are getting violent in doing so."  
  
"We'll look after it," Gunn said. Lorne told him the location of the main area of mayhem.  
  
"I'm going with you," Connor stated, walking to the door."  
  
"Oh, no you're not," Gunn said firmly. "If daddy found out that we let you come with us, he'd have us for lunch. not literally, of course."  
  
"I know more about these things than you do," argued Connor. "You can't go without knowing what I know and expect to win."  
  
"You're not-"  
  
"Let him go," they heard. Angel was standing at the railing of ht second floor, leaning on it, looking at everyone on the floor below him.  
  
"But Angel-" Gunn tried again.  
  
"Let him go," repeated Angel. He looked at his son. "Tell them what they have to know on the way there." He turned and walked away.  
  
Connor was surprised at his father but didn't think much of it. Greerimeen demons were out there, and they needed to be killed.  
  
~~~  
  
When Gunn, Connor, and Fred arrived at their destination, there were no demons anywhere; there was nothing out of place.  
  
"Maybe Lorne got the address wrong," suggested Fred.  
  
"No," stated Connor, looking around one last time. "Lorne was right. They're looking for something. But it's not here any more."  
  
"Where are you going" Gunn called after Connor as Connor began to walk away.  
  
"We have to find whatever they're looking for before they do. There could be serious consequences if we don't."  
  
~~~  
  
"How are we supposed to find what these things are looking for if we don't even know what it is?" asked Cordelia as everyone discussed the situation.  
  
Angel shrugged in reply.  
  
Lorne said, "It would seem that Junior knows more about these things than any of us do. which is strange. Why don't we know anything about these guys?"  
  
"Because they've never been in this dimension before." Everyone looked quizzically at Connor, so he continued. "They rarely leave Quor- Toth, and I'm sure that being here is not pleasant for them. Degrading, actually."  
  
"So whatever they're here for must be important," said Fred.  
  
"Very."  
  
"But how could they get here from Quor-Toth? Lorne said that it was very dangerous.a tear in reality.I think we would have seen that if they were coming from there," Angel observed.  
  
"Then they didn't come from Quor-Toth, not directly. They were probably dimension hopping, and came here through a portal from a different dimension than Quor-Toth," answered Connor.  
  
"Any ideas of what they might be chasing could be?" asked Cordelia brightly, a contrast to the situation.  
  
"Or who? would be the better question," said Connor. "Greerimeens are skin eaters, and they don't have any need for material things.aside from skin. They must be after someone who could interfere with plans that they've made, and the demons plan on disposing of that person by the most profitable way there is. They'll eat him after draining him of all knowledge. Doesn't that sound like fun?"  
  
~~~  
  
Back at Connor's loft, someone waited patiently for his return. 


	2. two

"Okay, you've told us everything you know. We appreciate the help. Now, go home."  
  
Connor looked at Angel disdainfully. "How about a little appreciation? Some respect?"  
  
"We appreciate you, Junior. Daddy just said that. But I don't think you want to get involved in this." Now it was Lorne's turn to receive the looks.  
  
"I am involved. These guys come from the place where I grew up and I'm the only one who knows anything about them." There was a moment of silence. "Fine, I'm gone."  
  
Connor turned and left the Hyperion feeling his usual emotions of anger hurt and rejection.  
  
"He could have stayed," Cordelia said to Angel after Connor had left. "He's a good fighter, and we could use all the help we can get trying to figure out what those demons are after."  
  
"I don't doubt that he's a good fighter, Cordy. I know he is. It's just. . ."  
  
Fred finished Angel's sentence for him. "It's just that you can't stand it that he knows more about something than you do."  
  
"That's not it," argued Angel. "I just. . . oh, forget it. We have work to do. Let's go see if we can find any of those guys. It might help us figure things out."  
  
"Right," Gunn said. "Cordy and I will start looking at the east end of the city. Fred will go with Angel on the west side. With so many of them around, they shouldn't be too hard to find. Lorne can stay here in case any of them tries to come back."  
  
They all armed themselves with silver swords, hatchets with silver blades, and daggers, silver being the only thing that can penetrate their thick skin, according to Connor.  
  
~~~  
  
"Damn. The one thing I actually know something about, and they don't even want-"  
  
Connor's loud-spoken thoughts were cut off abruptly when I tight fist hit him in the face. Reacting immediately out of reflex, Connor kicked his foot out and hit someone in the stomach. His assailant fought back, and while Connor defended himself, he wondered why he didn't feel another presence there when he first came into the apartment. Taking another blow to his nose, this time by a foot, Connor realized it must have been because he was so upset. It made him unprepared.  
  
Connor finally managed to pin the person's arms in front of him, making it look like the man who was attacking him was hugging himself. There was a brief moment of pitiful struggle before the man dressed in black flung his head backwards, hitting Connor in the nose with the back of his skull and throwing him off balance before running through the open door. Connor lifted his hand up to feel blood running out of his nose.  
  
"Damn," he repeated.  
  
~~~  
  
"Anything?" Fred asked Gunn and Cordelia when they met later at the Hyperion.  
  
"You didn't find anything either?" said Cordelia exasperated. "You mean I ruined one of my favourite pairs of shoes for nothing?"  
  
"They couldn't have just disappeared. . . unless they aren't in this dimension any more. Let's go talk to Lorne. Maybe he knows something."  
  
Angel found Lorne on the back patio of the hotel. He was standing in a fighting position. At first Angel couldn't see why Lorne would be in that stance, but when Lorne turned, Angel could see a person dressed fully in black clothes, wearing a black ski mask so that his face was covered.  
  
The person looked up, saw Angel, turned, and ran toward the gate. On his way out, the person ran into Connor, who was on his way in. Before Connor could react, the person pushed him out of the way and continued running.  
  
"What was that all about?" Angel asked Lorne. "Was it Wolfram and Hart again?"  
  
"No," answered the demon. "I don't know who it wasn't but it wasn't Wolfram and Hart. The tactic was all wrong."  
  
"It's the same bastard who attacked me in my apartment," said Connor, walking fully through the gate.  
  
"You were attacked?" asked Cordelia.  
  
"Yeah. He was hiding at my place when I got home."  
  
There was a moment of silence before Fred asked, "How do you know it was a man?" Everyone stared blankly at her. "I mean, no one's seen this person's face, so who's to say that it's a man?. . . for sure, I mean."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Cordelia enthusiastically. "Girls can kick butt too. Besides, she wasn't built like a guy."  
  
"Neither's Connor," put in Gunn, but before Connor could speak anything in a defensive or angry way, Gunn continued. "No, seriously. If Connor were to dress up like that, would you really be able to tell him from a girl just by his frame?"  
  
Fred and Cordelia looked at Connor grimly, knowing that what Gunn had said was true, while Connor pursed his lips with the effort of not punching Gunn in the nose.  
  
"Okay," said Angel slowly as if the whole conversation was pointless. "So the attacker could be male or female. At least we've narrowed down our options. . . " Angel raised an eyebrow after his sarcastic statement. "Now all we have to do is figure out why he, or she," he added pointedly at Fred and Cordelia, "attacked Connor."  
  
"Let's not forget Lorne," said Lorne raising his hand.  
  
"But it looked like you were just circling each other," noted Fred. "Did she actually attack you?"  
  
Lorne paused. "Well. . . no. . ." he finally answered, looking confused. "Why didn't he attack me? He attacked Connor."  
  
"Yes, we're all aware that he attacked Connor!" said Connor, still angry at what Gunn had said. "But he dropped this while he was fighting."  
  
Connor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper that looked as though it had been crumpled up, dropped in some mud, and then stepped on repeatedly before someone picked it up and tried to wash it off.  
  
"What is it?" asked Angel, taking the paper and starting to unfold it.  
  
"I don't know," replied Connor. "Some sort of map."  
  
The six people went inside the hotel to look at the map. After spreading it out on the counter, they gathered around it and peered at it. All except Connor, who hung back and stood in the shadows.  
  
"It's an old map of L.A.," said Angel sounding a little surprised.  
  
"And it looks like our man has some favourite hangouts," commented Lorne. "But why the two different colours?"  
  
On the map there were places circled in either blue or purple marker; there were three blue circles and about seven or eight purple ones.  
  
"Hey, look at this," said Cordelia pointing at one of the blue circles. "This is where the Hyperion is."  
  
At this Connor became interested. He slowly made his way over to the rest of them and peered down at the map. He hadn't paid much attention before, but now he was curious.  
  
"That blue on there is the street where my place is," Connor said blandly, not pointing, but gesturing vaguely with his hand.  
  
"There doesn't seem to be any sort of pattern," Fred pointed out. "It looks to be completely random."  
  
"These purple circles are all over alleyways and not so nice areas of town," said Lorne. "A lot of big meanies there."  
  
"Like those ugly, grey ones?" asked Cordelia. "Could they be there?"  
  
"It's worth a shot. We might as well check them out," said Angel breaking away from the table.  
  
"I'll take that alley," Connor said, pointing at the last blur circle.  
  
"You're not going alone," Cordelia stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Connor smiled gently at her. "Don't worry," he said. "I know these alleys, I fight there all the time. I can handle it." Connor walked over to the weapons cupboard and pulled out a long sword. "Just in case." And he left the hotel.  
  
"Okay," said Angel. "Let's get going."  
  
~~~  
  
Connor reached the first of two alleys that he frequently went in search of things to kill. The alley looked completely empty and desolate, so Connor knew there had to be something there.  
  
He began walking down the alleyway. He wasn't more than a few feet in when three vampires jumped out from behind garbage dumpsters and attacked him. He fought them off with minimal effort, and staked them all, one right after the other. That was the sole battle of this alley.  
  
"That was eventful," Connor said out loud as he turned down the other alley.  
  
He hadn't taken more than three steps in when a dark figure jumped in front of him. Although Connor was unable to see his face, he was sure that it was the same person who'd attacked him before.  
  
"Not you again," he muttered. "Might as well make this quick." Connor made to kick the person in the stomach, but the person was fast and jumped out of the way of Connor's foot. Connor tried again and hit the person, but the man in black retaliated almost immediately by hitting Connor with a series of punches followed with a swift kick in the groin.  
  
Connor doubled over in pain, was left exposed, and his attacker had plenty of opportunity to finish him off, although Connor was prepared to use his sword if he had to, (if he could.) Instead the person gave him one last look and then ran out of the alley.  
  
~~~  
  
Angel, Fred, Gunn, and Cordelia decided to keep themselves together and not go off into any groups, in case they ran into more than one Greerimeen demon at a time. As experienced as they were, they'd never had to block their thoughts from a demon before, and weren't sure how they'd manage.  
  
They arrived at a place that was circled in purple on the map that Connor had found, and wondered what was so important about it. It was nothing more than a large parking lot behind an old, run-down plaza, and it appeared to be completely deserted.  
  
"Maybe there's some sort of secret hiding spot, a secret gateway, and you can only get in with a password, a secret password," said Cordelia. Fred gave her an odd look.  
  
"Well, there's got to be something," said Angel. "But what?"  
  
"And why?" added Fred.  
  
Just then they heard loud noises, voices, coming from an area that had four cars in it, the only cars in the lot. Two Greerimeen demons stepped out from behind one of the cars. One of the demons said something in a language they couldn't understand, and the car from behind which they'd come moved to reveal a large hole in the cement, out of which came three more demons.  
  
"I told you there was a secret gateway," whispered Cordelia excitedly.  
  
The same demon said something again, and the hole closed up. If they hadn't seen it themselves, they would never have believed it was there.  
  
"Remember what Connor told us," Angel whispered the group as they walked toward the group of demons. "Block what you're really here for, and then the spot of dripping goop in the middle of their foreheads."  
  
"It should be real easy to stop them from knowing what we're here for with all of these in our hands," said Gunn sarcastically, indicate the various sorts of weaponry they were carrying.  
  
At that moment the demons looked in their direction and moved forward quickly in angry attack.  
  
"Right, well, either way," said Angel, and the group ran to meet the demons, and a slightly outnumbered battle broke out in the middle of the abandoned parking lot.  
  
The battle was a hard one, at least for the good guys. Some hope was revived, however, when somehow managed to push her sword through the skull of the demon that towered over her. Surprise and excitement allowed her to forget to turn around, and the demon exploded, not only covering Cordelia's front with blood, but showering everyone else with it as well.  
  
It took another quarter of an hour for the number of demons to diminish to two, leaving two angry looking demons more determined than ever to kill them.  
  
Feeling tired and desperate, the group lashed out with their remaining energy. Fred forgot and then remembered about the small dagger that was hiding on the back of her belt. She pulled it out quickly and threw it at the monster's head. It missed the dripping center by half an inch.  
  
"Uh oh," muttered Fred quietly.  
  
"What is it?" shouted Gunn right before the second demon knocked him out of the way.  
  
"I missed!" shouted Fred frantically. "I missed!"  
  
The Greerimeen demon in front of Fred scowled and bared his sharp pointed teeth. Fred began beating it again, pounding the demon with her fists. From behind her, Fred heard the other demon explode, and felt the warm, thick wetness as blood splattered her back. She stopped attacking the remaining demon and stood back to look at it.  
  
"Okay, so you missed," Angel said nonchalantly. "It's four against one now. I think we can handle it.  
  
Angel made to pierce the demon's head with his sword, but Fred stopped him. "What is it?" Angel asked, confused.  
  
Fred simply pointed in response.  
  
They all stepped back and looked at the demon. It was growling and drooling profusely, and yelling at them in the same language that it used to open the secret tunnel, but that's all it was doing. It wasn't attacking them.  
  
"What's wring with it?" asked Cordelia, poking it in the side.  
  
They all stopped and stared curiously at the immobile demon. "I- I don't think it can move," muttered Gunn.  
  
"That's great," said Cordelia. "Now we can kill it without any more problems." Cordelia swung her sword.  
  
"No, Cordy, wait!" shouted Gunn, but it was too late. Cordelia had already struck the demon and killed it.  
  
"What did you do that for?" shouted Gunn. "He couldn't move!"  
  
"Exactly," replied Cordelia. "That means no fight, and now I can go home and have a scented bubble bath."  
  
"But don't you get it? IT COULDN'T MOVE. But it could talk. We could have used it to get information, like, say, why they're here."  
  
"Oops," replied Cordelia meekly.  
  
"I'm sure there are more of these things around," said Angel logically. "Fred can tell us how she paralysed that thing, and we can do it to another one."  
  
"But, I don't know how I did it," Fred replied quietly. "I threw my dagger at it and missed, but then it couldn't move."  
  
They thought for a moment and then Angel replied, "Maybe you hit close enough to the mark to paralyse it, but not close enough to kill it."  
  
"It makes sense," offered Cordelia.  
  
"Well, let's get back to the hotel and check that map again. Maybe another one of those marked areas will have more of those mind-reading bastards hanging around," Gunn said, feeling angry and tired. "We really have to figure this thing out."  
  
~~~  
  
When Connor returned to the hotel, it was to find it nearly empty. Lorne sat in the office mulling over the map.  
  
"Find anything?" Connor asked.  
  
Lorne replied sullenly. "No. There's nothing. I cannot find even the most remote of patterns in here. Why there are two different colours, I don't know either."  
  
"What about Cordelia and the rest? Do you know about them?"  
  
"I haven't heard a thing," Lorne replied. "What was that?"  
  
There was a noise in the lobby, but when Connor and Lorne looked out of the office window, they couldn't see anything. Quietly they left the office and looked around. They couldn't see anything, but Connor was sure he could hear something on the second floor.  
  
"I guess it was nothing," Lorne said, turning to re-enter the office.  
  
"No," stated Connor firmly. "Someone's there."  
  
Lorne and Connor stood and listened for well over a minute. There was no noise being made, but Connor insisted that someone, besides them, was in the hotel.  
  
"Connor," began Lorne, "I really don't think-"  
  
But he was cut off when someone jumped into the lobby from the railing on the second floor.  
  
For a moment no one moved. The person looked over Lorne and Connor, judging them, sizing them up, while Connor and Lorne looked over the person dressed in black, face completely covered by a black mask.  
  
Connor and Lorne questioned sarcastically the person at the same time. "Not you again?"  
  
The person's green eyes sparkled lightly as if the mouth under the mask was smiling too, laughing at the lightly. The intruder looked around carefully, making sure to monitor the movement of the person and green demon in front of him. Distracting them by beginning to fight, the person in black managed to move Connor and Lorne so that they were no longer blocking the door to the office. Seizing the opportunity that presented itself, he ran to the office door and closed and locked it before either defender could follow him.  
  
Connor ran right into the door, and began kicking it, trying to break it open.  
  
"Connor!" he heard from behind him. "What are you doing?" Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, and Fred were back and they were bruised and covered in blood, obviously not their own.  
  
"Our mystery, non Wolfram and Hart attacker is back and has locked himself in the office," Lorne answered.  
  
"Well, he's not there any more!" Gunn shouted.  
  
The intruder had the time to leave the office when Lorne and Connor had their backs turned. He was already at the door by the time Connor had caught up with him.  
  
"He took the map!" Lorne yelled from the doorway in the office. Connor reached out to grab the person's arm in hopes of trying to stop him, but the person ducked out of the way. In doing so, however, Connor was made able to grab the mask that the person wore. As he ran out the doors of the hotel, the mask the person wore came off in Connor's hand.  
  
Everyone stared as long, thick, wavy lack hair fell down the person's back. No one moved, save for the intruder, who ran directly through he doors, over the patio, and away into the darkness.  
  
The room was silent. No one spoke, no one moved. Connor could feel the eyes of everyone there staring at the mask he held in his hand, and started to feel extremely embarrassed as a realization came to him. He got beat up by a girl. Twice.  
  
Connor looked around the room, his ears turning red from embarrassment. Everyone wore and expression that was a mixture of shock and confusion; everyone except Cordelia.  
  
"I told you it was a girl!" she said. 


	3. three

Connor lay in bed, awake. He couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about what had happened a couple of hours ago. The person attacking him was a girl. He had been quite sure it was a man.  
  
He rolled over onto his side, while visions of the girl floated into his mind. All he knew about what she looked like was that she had black hair. Using this piece of information, Connor's mind unwillingly began to place features upon a blank face.  
  
He saw the wavy black hair surrounding the face, which he saw to have a small, straight nose that was rounded perfectly on the end. Lips appeared next, full lips, coloured so deeply that there was never any need for makeup. Connor willed his mind to stop, but it wouldn't listen. Before he could help himself, eyes appeared on the face making it complete. Nicely shaped eyebrows formed over the deepest green eyes Connor had ever seen in his life. He often wondered how she had managed to get eyes that colour.  
  
"Stop," Connor said out loud. "She's nothing now."  
  
He rolled over onto his back again and thought of Cordelia instead.  
  
~~~  
  
Cordelia sat in the bathtub that was full of warm water and bubbles lightly scented with lavender. She thought of Connor and how he'd looked when he'd unmasked that girl, his expression being one of surprise, of embarrassment, and, oddly, of recognition. She wondered who that girl could possibly remind him of.  
  
Cordelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Before she had fully leaned back into the contoured shape of the tub, she jolted forward again, her rate of breathing quickening slightly.  
  
The vision came to Cordelia in bits and pieces, flashes of sore faces, monsters, children of evil. Things became slightly clearer, and Cordelia could see more demons of the same species that they had killed that night, many of them with what appeared to be menacing grins on their gruesome faces. They laughed, and jeered. Suddenly the vision changed and a girl's face appeared, looking slightly scared, but determined. Although they hadn't seen her face earlier, Cordelia knew it was the same person who had been attacking Connor. The demons reappeared - there were about six- and the girl was fighting them.  
  
The vision ended and Cordelia tried to think of some of the scenery, something that would be an indication of any location.  
  
There was none.  
  
Cordelia sighed and contemplated whether or not a half-assed vision would be worth bothering Angel or not. Finally deciding that all her visions, especially ones involving the monsters they were trying to fight, should be presented to the others, Cordelia got out of the bath, put on a bathrobe, and pulled the plug of the tub.  
  
~~~  
  
"You didn't get any feel of a place at all?" Angel asked Cordelia.  
  
"No," she replied. "All I know is that it was dark and there were a lot of demons. . . and a cat," she added.  
  
"A cat?" asked Gunn.  
  
Cordelia nodded. "I don't know. I mean, I think it looked kind of like some sort of alley. Maybe the cat lived there."  
  
"What colour was the cat?"  
  
"Connor, what are you doing here?" asked Angel. "It's three o'clock in the morning."  
  
"Couldn't sleep," answered Connor.  
  
"What relevance does the colour of the cat have?" Gunn asked.  
  
"There's a new cat in one of my hunting alleys. It's strange. It knows what's going on. Sometimes it just sits there and watches like it's a show. Creeps me out."  
  
Cordelia said quietly, "I'm not too sure about what colour the cat was. It was dark and busy and in bits and pieces. Not one of the clearest visions I've ever had."  
  
"So what are we going to do?" asked Fred. "By the time we've checked every alley in town, the could, would probably be-"  
  
"It was white!" shouted Cordelia, interrupting Fred. "The cat was white."  
  
"Sounds an awful lot like my cat," Connor said. "Probably my alley, too."  
  
"Okay, well, I'll say it again," said Angel. "Let's go."  
  
~~~  
  
"I don't know what Angel's doing. He can chase all the psychic-type demons he wants. I don't know anything about it, and, quite frankly, at the moment, I don't care."  
  
"I know you're still on his side, deep down inside. And I'm not asking you t obe any different. I just thought you might know why the demons are so important to him all of a sudden."  
  
"Even if I did know, Lilah, I wouldn't tell you. It's your job to figure stuff like this out. And I think at this point, both you and I know more than Angel does."  
  
"You're right. It's Angel's little boy we have to worry about."  
  
"Connor? How could he know more than Angel?"  
  
"That's your job to figure it out? But when he finds out who that girl is. . . He's in for a bog surprise."  
  
~~~  
  
When the group finally made it to one of the alleys where Connor usually hunted, there were no demons, no vampires; there was nothing save for themselves. That is, nothing except-  
  
"It's the cat," Cordelia said, pointing with her sword.  
  
"But where is everything else?" asked Fred.  
  
"I'm not sure," Angel answered, "but there was definitely something here. Something that's been killed. I can smell the blood."  
  
"Is it human?" asked Connor.  
  
"I'm not sure," Angel answered again, studying his surroundings very closely. "It might not be." If it's not human, there's definitely an element of human in it."  
  
Connor walked over to the purely white cat. There was no blood on the cat, no dirt of any kind. This was always the case, and it perplexed Connor every time he saw it. He stared at the cat as he stepped even closer to it. The cat stared back lazily at Connor. If cats could look unenthusiastic and bored, Connor would say that that was exactly how this animal was feeling.  
  
There was a movement of shadow beside Connor, and looking to his left revealed the same person, the same girl, who had attacked him before. Connor readied himself to fight when the girl's hand moved, but Connor watched as the girl, with a new mask, reached out and scratched the cat behind the ears.  
  
"What do you want?" Connor asked the girl. She remained quiet and continued to pet the cat, who began to purr loudly. Connor spoke to her again. "Why are you here? And why do you keep fighting me? We're on the same side."  
  
The girl laughed a rather unpleasant laugh that contained no humour at all. "Are we?" she asked, the first words Connor had heard her say.  
  
And yet, oddly, it was as if he'd heard the voice before, so familiar it sounded. She laughed again, and stroked the cat on its stomach as it lay sprawled out on the closed lid of the dumpster that Connor stood next to.  
  
"Who are you?" Connor eyed her suspiciously, completely unaware of the presence of the others who had come to see what was going on.  
  
"Relax, Connor," the girl said. "You were never this uptight in Quor-Toth."  
  
Reacting before he thought, Connor reached out and pulled off the girl's mask for a second time. Waves of wavy black hair fell around the girl's smooth, pale face. Lips were revealed to wear a smug smirk of a half-smile, and dancing with hidden amusement were eyes of the deepest green that Connor had ever seen.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Connor asked her through clenched teeth, not even attempting to hide his feeling of hurt hatred.  
  
"Oh, Connor," she said, smiling sweetly. "I missed you, too."  
  
~~~  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
Angel had found Connor an hour later at his loft, sitting on the windowsill and staring out of the dirty window, a habit, angel had noticed, that Connor seemed to have developed in the past couple of months.  
  
Connor said nothing to Angel. In truth, Connor didn't even acknowledge his father's presence. He knew Angel was there, but he chose to ignore him. He had been doing a lot of thinking that was doing nothing but sending him around in circles, and he wanted desperately to not be interrupted.  
  
"Connor", persisted Angel, "if you know who this girl is, you have to tell us. This could very well be the information we've been looking for."  
  
Connor was silent.  
  
Angel sighed heavily and sat down on the edge of Connor's bed. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me.'  
  
Having learned from experience that was true, Connor reluctantly answered him shortly. "She's no one," he said.  
  
"Why do I not believe that?" replied Angel.  
  
"I don't know, but it would be your own damned stupidity if you didn't," answered Connor. "That girl is nothing and I could care less if the Greerimeens ate her for breakfast."  
  
Ignoring Connor's first remark, Angel asked about the second. "So she's what they're looking for?"  
  
Connor answered again with silence, and Angel knew the answer. That girl, whoever she was, was what those demons were after, and Angel had more than a feeling that Connor knew more than he was telling. But Angel also knew that it had more to do with Connor's old life in Quor-Toth than it did with fighting evil. And that was something that Connor rarely, if ever, spoke about.  
  
Angel stood up silently and left Connor's apartment without another word. On his way back to the hotel, Angel wondered who the girl was, what the connection between the girl and Connor was, why the demons were after her, and how she managed to escape alive when she was fighting a pack of Greerimeen demons alone. All those things swam around Angel's head, and he didn't get to sleep until long after the sun had risen.  
  
~~~  
  
Connor stayed awake at the windowsill for over an hour after Angel had left. He knew what the girl was capable of, and he couldn't think of any reason why the demons would be after her, unless she had tried to escape. Once a person has sworn herself to the Greeimeens, she never leaves until she dies.  
  
Leave it to Regan to back out of a promise she'd made. . .  
  
Connor finally stood up, and stretched. Crawling into bed he thought about what had happened that night, and memories of Quor-Toth came back to him. Quickly he banished them back into the farthest corner of his mind, and promised himself he'd never think of her again. . . unless never became too long. . . 


	4. four

"I know you were looking for me," she said. "Well, whatever it is you wanted me for, here I am."  
  
Connor turned around to see the girl, a slight smile of amusement on her face. Before he responded to her statement, he looked around at his surroundings. He stood in the lobby of the hotel, faintly realizing that he had no recollection of how he got there.  
  
"How did you get here?" Connor asked. "Why are you here?"  
  
"You know how I got here, Connor. As for why I'm here. . . I need your help."  
  
Connor was stunned and didn't try to hide his puzzled expression. "Then why did you try to kill me?"  
  
The girl laughed loud and hard, almost hysterically, Connor thought. The girl answered, "I didn't try to kill you, Connor. I had to see if you'd be strong enough."  
  
"Strong enough for what?" he asked, but in the instant he's blinked, the girl disappeared.  
  
"Isn't that obvious, Connor?" He heard the voice from behind him, and when Connor turned around, he saw Cordelia walking slowly toward him, too slowly, as she purposely moved in a way that was sure to get his attention. "I need a strong man, Connor," Cordelia said. "I need a man who will fight for me and maybe even sometimes fight with me. . .but only if I get to fight with him first."  
  
Cordelia reached out and punched Connor in the jaw so unexpectedly that he reeled sideways and fell onto his stomach. When Connor opened his eyes he saw the dirty floor of his loft. Confused, Connor looked around. Cordelia wasn't there and neither was the girl; the sun was up and Connor realized that it was just a dream.  
  
But it had seemed so real! Connor reached up and felt his jaw where Cordelia had punched him. It was a little sore, and the only explanation that Connor could think of was that he'd hit his face when he'd fallen to the floor.  
  
"All a dream," he muttered to himself, exasperated, before he got up and got dressed  
  
~~~  
  
"Where'd you go last night?" Fred asked Angel when he'd finally gotten up. "You just sort of left without saying anything."  
  
"I went to find Connor," he answered, taking a sip from the pig's blood he'd just gotten himself.  
  
"What'd he say about that freaky cat chick?" Gunn asked. "He left almost as abruptly as he did."  
  
"He didn't say much, but he did know her in Quor-Toth. He wouldn't say anything about it. But he did sort of indirectly say that she was who the demons are after."  
  
"If he knew her, then she should be able to find her more easily. And since she keeps coming to Connor, it should be a lot easier still," put in Cordelia.  
  
"Not quite, Cordy," Angel answered, depression and disappointment being represented more than sarcasm.  
  
"Why not?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"Connor is about this far away," said Angel, squeezing together his thumb and forefinger, "from feeding that girl to the demons himself."  
  
"And who would like to guess why?" the group heard from behind them.  
  
"Wesley?" Everyone was about as surprised as Fred had sounded.  
  
"What do you know?" Angel asked, trying to keep impatience from his voice.  
  
"A lot more than you, it would seem," replied Wesley lightly. Wesley walked further into the hotel before continuing to say what the others were waiting to here. "You already know that Connor knew the girl before. But he knew her a lot better than you think. It turns out that they used to be - really - good friends in Quor-Toth, which, I suppose, is not surprising, given the amount of actual humans who reside there."  
  
"So what happened?" asked Gunn curiously, but not without impatience. "If they were so close, why's she beating the hell out of him? And why is he being so cold to her?"  
  
Ignoring the interruption, Wesley answered Gunn's questions calmly. "It seems they had a falling out right before Connor returned. She pissed him off, and you know Connor's temper. I'm still not sure about what happened or why, but I have some speculation as to how she got here."  
  
"I can give you more than speculation," they all heard from the door. The girl was there, still wearing the black clothes but bare of the mask. Even the girl appeared to be completely non-hostile, Angel straightened where he stood, ready to defend himself if necessary.  
  
"First let's get some things straight. I suppose one of the first things we want to know is, who are you?"  
  
"My name is Regan Bale," the girl answered Angel without hesitation.  
  
Cordelia exchanged curious glances with Fred before Angel asked Regan how she got to this dimension from Quor-Toth.  
  
"I had two reasons for leaving Quor-Toth," she answered, still standing in front of the doors. "The first one was that I needed to get to Connor. The second was that I had to get away from the demons."  
  
"The Greerimeen demons?" asked Gunn.  
  
"Yes," Regan replied before continuing with the previous question. "I knew how dangerous it would be to come directly here from Quor-Toth, so I went to a different dimension, one that didn't have a high probability of releasing hell throughout the universes. From there I travelled through about ten different dimensions trying to get rid of the demons before I came here. Unfortunately they aren't as easy to lose as I had hoped," she finished, a hint of regret in her voice.  
  
"So, how did you find Connor?" asked Cordelia. "How did you know he here? In L.A.?"  
  
"Process of elimination," Regan replied reluctantly with a sigh. "How many other vampire children do you know around here? It's - a long story," she added when everyone maintained a look of slight confusion.  
  
"The map," Lorne said into the silence. "The map of the city. The marked areas were all where Connor usually is at some time during the day."  
  
"You're very perceptive, Lorne," Regan replied with a smile. "I also marked the known hideouts of the demons in purple."  
  
"How did you know his name?" Angel asked, suddenly suspicious.  
  
"It's not like I haven't watched you guys. Look, I'll explain later. Are there any more questions you'd like to ask me before I ask you one?"  
  
"There are a few," Angel said. "If you and Connor were so close in Quor- Toth, why did you come after him like you did when you got here?"  
  
"I had to see if he'd strong enough," she answered simply. "That's why I've been watching you: to see if you'd be strong enough."  
  
~~~  
  
Connor stood in the shadows on the second floor of the Hyperion watching as his father questioned Regan. It was all very easy to understand, as it was mostly things that he already knew. When Regan spoke the phrase that was in his dream, though, Connor knew it was more a coincidence. Regan had been influencing his dream last night.  
  
Gunn asked Regan why the Greeimeens were after her and Connor barely listened to her response. "Because of a very large misunderstanding," she said. It was a misunderstanding, all right. How she could agree to that, Connor had no idea. So life with him wasn't perfect - how could it be? - but life with them. . . There would have been no competition if he had had to choose.  
  
The questioning continued, but Connor didn't stay around to listen.  
  
~~~  
  
"You said that you had a question," Angel said to Regan when most of the question he'd had evaded him for the moment.  
  
"Yes, I did, but I think now I'll ask another. How often does Connor stand in the shadows and listen to you guys without actually saying anything?" Angel and the others looked to where Regan had gestured and saw nothing. "He's gone now," she informed them.  
  
"How did you know he was there?" Cordelia asked, sounding disbelieving.  
  
"That is another long story," Regan answered. Then, after a slight hesitation, she said, "I came here today for a reason. I need your help."  
  
~~~  
  
Connor wandered around the city, not doing anything in particular, enjoying the sunlight for once in his life. Having spent most of his time in the darkness, Connor was slightly surprised to find that he enjoyed the feel of the sun on his face that day.  
  
Feeling proud of himself for not having thought of Regan while he wandered, Connor made his way back to his apartment. His plan was to get some sleep before he went out that night hunting. Unfortunately that plan hit a small snag. Regan was waiting for Connor when he got home.  
  
"You've certainly developed a habit of showing up where you're not wanted," Connor stated flatly and coldly when he saw Regan at the windowsill.  
  
"They agreed to help me," she replied, "whether you do or not."  
  
"Well, good for them. I don't want anything to do with it."  
  
"Connor. . ." Regan got off the windowsill and walked slowly toward him, her manner suggesting vulnerability. "Connor, please. Why can't you just listen to what I have to say? You never gave me the chance to explain-"  
  
"Explain what?" shouted Connor, feeling the rage swell inside of him. "How do you explain betraying me and letting those monsters touch you?"  
  
"Connor, I-"  
  
"No! There's no explanation. I don't care why you're here, but if you ever come around again, the Greerimeens won't be the only ones you should be afraid of."  
  
~~~  
  
"Angel, how do you intend to help this girl?" Cordelia asked later that night. Things hadn't been the same since Cordelia and Connor had had sex. Cordelia had to prove many things to Angel before he allowed her to remain with them. He was angry and hurt, and Cordelia still lived with the guilt. She loved Angel, and still did. Now all she had to do was convince Angel that he still loved her, too.  
  
"I don't know," responded Angel. "She seems to know how to kill this thing, but it wont be easy. We don't even know when it'll be here. I think all we can do for now is protect her from the Greerimeen demons and hope that Connor will listen. No matter what that girl did, she doesn't deserve to have to pay with her life."  
  
"I agree, but Connor can be very stubborn. . . like his father," Cordelia responded, not entirely sure which emotions she should be expressing at that point in time. "But is she really in that much danger of those guys? I mean, we haven't asked her yet how she managed to kill half a dozen of them on her own."  
  
"I know," Angel replied with a heavy sigh. "But I still think it's the right thing to do. She came to us for help. I can't just turn her away."  
  
"How can you be sure she's being honest with us?" Cordelia asked. She continued when Angel gave her a sceptical look. "I'm serious, Angel. If she could hurt Connor like hat before, what makes you think that she's all nice now? She could be here just to hurt Connor some more, and by letting her stay here, its just like hanging a huge yellow 'kick me' sign around Connor's neck."  
  
"I understand that you're worried about him," replied Angel shortly. "But I think this is a chance that we're just going to have to take."  
  
"I hope you're right," muttered Cordelia, right before a long scream shattered the pending silence of the lobby of the hotel. 


	5. five

"Who was that?" asked Cordelia looking around. "It sounded like-"  
  
"Regan," finished Angel.  
  
The two ran up a flight of stairs and ran toward the room that Angel had let Regan use. When they reached the room, Regan was standing in the hallway, closing the door behind her.  
  
"What happened?" Angel asked, sounding as worried as he looked. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Regan answered after taking a deep breath. "I'm not so sure about the room, though."  
  
"Why? What happened?" asked Cordelia, beginning to feel frustrated at the elusive way the girl answered questions.  
  
"Oh, nothing, really. A couple of Meenies snuck into my room and it caught me off-guard. That's why I screamed."  
  
"They're in there now?" asked Cordelia, suddenly wishing she a weapon of some sort, preferably anything with a blade.  
  
"Uh, yeah, but they're not exactly whole."  
  
"You killed them? Alone?" Angel asked. Then, responding to Regan's nod, he asked, "How do you kill them when it's just you there? It took the group of us to kill only a few of them. How are you alone managing to kill these things?"  
  
Regan looked down at her hands briefly before answering, "It's easy to kill something when you don't have anything to lose by dying yourself."  
  
There was a pause when neither Angel nor Cordelia knew what to say. Regan certainly couldn't have added anything to her answer, so she, too, remained quiet. Regan began to walk away, but Cordelia stopped her. "What did you mean by that?" she asked Regan.  
  
"Exactly what I said. I lost everything even before I left Quor-Toth. Death now just doesn't seem that bad anymore."  
  
Cordelia could see the tears forming in Regan's eyes before the girl turned and walked away.  
  
Cordelia looked at Angel. "I think maybe I should go talk to her."  
  
"So now she's all nice. When did you decide she was trustworthy?"  
  
"When I saw how much she's hurting."  
  
~~~  
  
Still feeling angry because of Regan's visit, Connor decided to work off some of the energy by hunting. His usual alleys produced an unusually small amount of vampires, so he began to walk wherever his feet took him, killing whatever was stupid enough to get in his way.  
  
While Connor walked, Regan penetrated his mind, and he found that the only way to make it go away was to stab something. Finally, after over an hour of uninvited thoughts, Connor decided to think about Regan and get it out of his system. The sooner this was over, the sooner Connor could resume chasing after Cordelia, not that it had ever done hi many good before.  
  
Cordelia knew how Connor felt. He didn't hesitate to tell her. . . and even if he had, he had to admit that it was obvious anyway. But the way Cordelia played with his mind made him angry. One minute she would be flirting with him, kissing him. . . sleeping with him, and the next minute she would be pushing him away, telling him that what she felt for him was certainly not the same as he felt for her. She constantly confused him.  
  
Not like Regan. Connor always knew where he stood with her. She never lied to him, never led him to believe she cared only to throw ice on him. She was always honest and told him everything. . . Except when she became associated with the Greerimeen demons. Or. . . especially when she became associated with the Greerimeen demons.  
  
Now that Connor thought about it, he realized that Regan hadn't even tried to pretend nothing happened, not like she could for long anyway. But she had still come to him and told him when she became pregnant. The same day, actually. Connor still remembered when he's first seen Regan that day. Her hair had been wild and out of place, and her eyes had been red and puffy, telling Connor immediately that she'd been crying, and her usually pale cheeks had been flushed, her right cheek donning a fresh bruise. He had seen her and run to her and wrapped his arms around her. She clung to him only for a moment but tightly. After stepping back from him, she'd looked into his eyes and Connor knew right then that things had changed. He just didn't realize things would be changed so drastically in what was definitely the wrong direction.  
  
It was then that Connor realized that what Regan had said was true. He didn't give her the chance to explain. He'd just turned his back and left. But then Connor remembered why he didn't need an explanation: Greerimeen demons impregnate anyone without her consent.  
  
And so it stayed. Regan betrayed him. There was nothing else to think about.  
  
~~~  
  
Regan left the hotel holding back tears. It was bad enough that Cordelia had seen her almost cry. She wouldn't let anyone else see it too.  
  
Not really sure where she was going, Regan just walked. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing she had though to bring a jacket with her before storming out of the hotel. "That's what I get for all that careful planning," she muttered to herself before she bumped into someone.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I wasn't watching where. . ." Regan's voice trailed off when she looked up.  
  
"I thought I told you to stay away from me," Connor said, vicious anger clear in his voice.  
  
"Connor, I wasn't looking for you. I was just going for a walk."  
  
"So you just happened to be walking around where I-" Connor's voice trailed off as he looked around. "Where am I?"  
  
"That's what I'm talking about," said Regan, sounding quite exasperated.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You! You jump to conclusions all the time. You hear or see something and you assume the world is against you."  
  
"Because one time I thought you were coming after me, after a whole series of you attacking me and showing up out of nowhere? That's really-"  
  
"It's not just now, Connor," she said quietly, but firmly. "You do it all the time. Even in Quo-"  
  
"Don't even mention that. Not now, not ever again." Connor made to turn around and walk away, but Regan still had something to say.  
  
"Connor, you ass! It's always about you; what you need, what you want. You weren't there when I needed you!"  
  
"That was your choice!" he shouted, not caring who on the streets heard him.  
  
"I didn't have a choice!" Regan shouted, even louder than Connor had, before saying more calmly, "There wasn't a choice."  
  
"There's always a choice."  
  
Connor turned and walked away from Regan, leaving her alone for the second time.  
  
~~~  
  
Cordelia had followed Regan, but when she got to the hotel lobby there was no sign of her. Cordelia searched the grounds around the hotel and then the hallways and various empty rooms. Still she could not find Regan. After half an hour and still no Regan, Cordelia bumped into Angel.  
  
"How'd your talk with Regan go?" He asked Cordelia.  
  
"I didn't have one," replied Cordelia somewhat dryly. "She's gone."  
  
"What do you mean she's gone?"  
  
"I mean she's gone! Not here! She left."  
  
"Regan left?" came Fred's voice. Fred had walked into the room at the wrong time and her expression clearly showed worry. "Do you think those got her?"  
  
"No, they didn't get her," Regan said after walking completely through the back doors. "She just felt like going for a walk."  
  
"Regan," said Angel sounding relieved, but also slightly frustrated, "you should tell us when you leave. How are we supposed to protect you when we don't know where you are?"  
  
Regan responded, "I don't need your protection," as she walked farther into the hotel. "I need your help. There's a difference."  
  
"I don't understand," Fred said slowly. "I thought that's what you needed our help with, protecting you."  
  
"Well, it's not. I can protect myself from what's coming, but I need your help killing it."  
  
"How does that work?" asked Cordelia. "I mean, if you can't kill this thing on your own, how can you protect yourself from it? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense."  
  
"That," began Regan, "is a very detailed and complicated story. One that involves the bundle of evil joy that's coming trusting me completely."  
  
"And just why exactly does he trust you?" Angel asked slowly, eyeing Regan suspiciously.  
  
"Well, the answer to that is so easy and simple and yet. . . not so simple all at the same time." Regan was definitely beginning to feel nervous and she wasn't doing anything to hide it.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Oh, well. . . how?. . .um. . .well, I kind of. . . work for him. . .But in a completely double agent sort of way," Regan added hastily when expressions and actions of outrage suddenly exploded in everyone in the room.  
  
"I think now would be a good time to fill us in on who you really are," Angel said, very coldly, his expression showing nothing in the way of compassion.  
  
"The demon that's coming. . .everyone knows him as Tobey. Connor. . .he knows I work for Tobey. But like I said, I really was only pretending to work for him. It was more that I'd pretend to be working for him, but really I was gathering information for the good guys. That's how I met Connor. He was beating up the bad guys while I was pretending to work for them."  
  
"How did you get away from him?" asked Fred. "It doesn't make sense that he would let you chase after the good guy, trying to get together with him, while he thinks you're the bad guy."  
  
"Tobey hates the Greerimeens. When I told him they were after me, he let me run. . .on one condition: that I would lead him here, to this dimension. So he's on his way. I'm not sure when he'll be here. He didn't tell me. But it'll be soon, and that's why I need your help. I'm going to lead him here to you when he comes, and then we'll all attack him, hopefully surprising him enough to give us the advantage."  
  
"How do we know you aren't double crossing us? You could be here to gain our trust so that when this Tobey thing comes with an army, you'll know everything about us and we wont stand a chance."  
  
Regan looked at Angel, desperation clear on her face. "You don't know what he's like. He'll kill his most loyal worker if he thinks that person is even considering helping one of his enemies across a path. Do you really think I'd put myself in a position like that if I didn't think I could actually do some good?"  
  
Cordelia began to doubt Regan, but only for a moment. She was fairly certain Regan told the truth. It was then that she knew she had to talk to Regan alone. But given the circumstances, Cordelia wasn't sure when that would happen. All she knew was that it had to be soon. 


	6. six

Connor sat at his window once again, fighting defiantly to maintain his belief that he was right. Regan was wrong. He didn't jump to conclusions, and if he thought someone was against him, it was because that person was against him. Connor knew there were only two ways to prevent oneself from getting hurt. One was to be completely immune to everything, and having nothing affect one's emotions. The other was to hurt people before one got hurt oneself. Connor liked to believe he was immune.  
  
But he had to admit to himself that that was one thing he definitely was not. He had been hurt when Holtz died, he had been hurt when Cordelia made it quite clear that she wanted to be with his father, and . . .he had been hurt when Regan betrayed him. He refused to let it happen again.  
  
~~~  
  
"Regan, can I talk to you?" Cordelia asked when she finally had a moment.  
  
"Look, I've already told you I'm on your side, and if you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do to convince you otherwise, short of-" Regan cut herself off, then said again, "There's nothing I can do."  
  
Cordelia ignored Regan's stumble and told her instead what was really there to talk about. "I'm not here to accuse you. In fact, I believe you."  
  
"You do?" Regan asked, surprise clear in her green eyes.  
  
"Yes. So there's no reason for you to try to convince me. I already believe you."  
  
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" They were outside, so Regan sat down on one of the benches that were out there.  
  
"Well, in all honesty, I want to talk to you about Connor," Cordelia said, sitting in the bench opposite Regan's so that she'd be able to face her.  
  
"Oh boy," responded Regan. She put a hand to her head and rubbed it for a moment. "Well, what do you want to know? If you're going to be fighting with me you might as well know what you want. It's not like it's a big secret anyway."  
  
"Why don't you start by telling me what things were like between you two before. . .everything happened."  
  
"It was just like any other relationship, I guess. Except that on a date, we'd be hiding, discussing the plans of the enemy and what we were going to do about them. And instead of everyone knowing we were together, it was only the very few good guys who could be trusted not to sell out to Tobey or any of his workers were the ones who knew. And instead of hiding things from each other, we were totally honest. Okay, so I guess it wasn't just like any other relationship. But we were happy." Regan developed a far off gaze as she recalled the time that seemed so long ago now.  
  
"So what happened?" Cordelia asked gently. "Did Tobey find out?"  
  
"If Tobey found out, I'd be dead."  
  
"So what was it?"  
  
Regan made a noise of indignation. "A loophole in the laws of a species."  
  
~~~  
  
Angel decided that Regan could be a threat to them. If she told them that she worked for the demon that was coming, expecting her complete honesty to gain their trust, then she could use that against them when the time came for the monster to arrive. Angel knew there was only one way to know for sure if Regan told the truth: Connor.  
  
Trying to act like a father instead of just another intruder, Angel knocked on Connor's door instead of just walking in. When there was no answer, Angel knocked again. He knew Connor was in there. Angel could hear him walking back and forth in front of his window. Angel knocked one more time, but when Connor still didn't open the door, Angel tried the knob and found it to be unlocked.  
  
Angel walked into the room to see Connor reseated at the window. Not wanting to waste any more time, Angel got straight to the point of his visit.  
  
"Connor, I have to talk to you about Regan," Angel told him.  
  
"Too bad. I have nothing to say about her."  
  
"Connor, she told us something and only you can verify if she's telling the truth. We cant afford to trust her if she's here to kill us all. . . What do you know about Tobey?"  
  
At the mention of the demon's name, Connor looked up. "What about Tobey?" he asked.  
  
"Well, if what Regan says turns out to be true, then he's on his way here and prepared to take over. And since she works for him. . . I just need to know what you know."  
  
"Don't worry," Connor replied, turning to look out the window. "Regan hates Tobey. If she tells you she wants to kill him, believe me, she will."  
  
Angel nodded even though Connor's back was turned to him. So Regan was telling the truth. At least he got that much out of Connor, even though he would have preferred much more.  
  
"Thanks," said Angel before walking out the door. There were still so many things he would have loved to ask Conner; that is if he knew Connor would answer him. Angel was surprised that Connor even said what he did. But at least now he knew Regan could be trusted. He just wished he knew why Tobey was coming here. If all he wanted was the Greerimeens, he could just take them. The need for the demon to come here seemed suspicious to Angel, so he decided that he would talk to Regan about all of this as soon as possible.  
  
~~~  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean," Cordelia told Regan. "What do you mean 'a loophole of a species'?"  
  
Regan sighed heavily before starting her story once again. "Connor and I were very close. We told each other everything. That's why I found it impossible to lie to him after. . .after I got pregnant."  
  
"You were pregnant?" Cordelia blurted. "But Connor-"  
  
"It wasn't his baby," Regan hastened to tell Cordelia before smiling slightly at Cordelia's poorly masked relieved expression. "I wasn't unfaithful, either," continued Regan. "I didn't have a choice. Although, Connor seems to think I did."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I don't know why it happened, why they chose me, but they did. I can't say I wanted that baby. If there were any babies that I would have wanted to have, they would have been Connor's. But like I said, I didn't have a choice. There is no choice in rape."  
  
Regan's voice was harder than Cordelia had ever heard it. She couldn't help but breathe a confused "What?" in response to Regan's statement. "But if this was forced upon you, how could Connor get so angry with you?"  
  
"That's the thing about Greerimeen demons: they cant get a girl pregnant if they don't have her permission. It was my unfortunate luck that that particular law of species doesn't hold true for half-breeds." At this point Regan had tears in her eyes again and Cordelia could tell that Regan didn't want them to be seen.  
  
Cordelia remained quiet while Regan stood up and began to walk around. She continued speaking. "I could understand it if I had purposely given myself to them, but that wasn't the case. And Connor- he wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to explain. He heard 'Greerimeen' and just stopped listening. Then he left."  
  
Regan had stopped and stood staring off at an image only she could see, a memory she'd be better off without.  
  
"Regan, I- I'm so sorry," Cordelia said softly, noticing how Regan no longer fought to hold the tears back. They rolled silently down her cheeks. "I know Connor can be stubborn and sort of ignorant, but-"  
  
"No," Regan interrupted. "Connor had a right to be mad. I just wish he'd also have decided to listen."  
  
Cordelia didn't really know what to say to comfort Regan, but she did have a question. She just hoped that it wouldn't be too insensitive to ask it.  
  
"I'm sorry to ask this, but. . .if those demons got what they wanted from you, why are they still chasing after you?"  
  
"They want revenge." Seeing the still slightly confused look on Cordelia's face, Regan continued. "Due to. . .personal circumstances, the baby was born completely human. That infuriated the demons and when they knew they wouldn't get what they wanted from me they tried to kill me. . .right after they killed the baby."  
  
Cordelia wondered what circumstances could possibly have changed the genetic make-up of a child, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Regan looked as though she were in enough pain.  
  
"After that happened, I left," continued Regan. "I wanted to find Connor. The only thing that matters to me now is getting Connor to forgive me."  
  
Regan looked down at her hands while Cordelia said, "But Regan, you did nothing wrong. None of this is your fault."  
  
Regan looked up again and a tear slid down her cheek. Even though Cordelia could not see any fault of Regan's within the story Regan told, Cordelia could tell by the look on her face that Regan still believed she had done something wrong. After a very brief moment of looking Cordelia in the eye, Regan turned and began to walk slowly around the patio.  
  
"I don't cry," Regan said apologetically, wiping at her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me."  
  
"You're upset and you're hurting," replied Cordelia, getting up to walk Regan.  
  
There was a moment when no one spoke, and Regan appeared as if she were lost in memory. Cordelia was about to leave Regan alone, thinking that there was no way that Regan could believe right now that everything would be okay, but before she could leave, Regan began to talk again.  
  
"There was this song," she said. "There wasn't a lot of music where we were, but we had this song. I would sing it when we were together, and Connor, he. . . he didn't like to sing, he can't do it very well," she added with a small laugh, "but he would. . .He would sing it for me."  
  
Cordelia didn't know what to say. The thought of Connor being romantic and even singing was slightly amusing to her, but Cordelia didn't feel like laughing. She wouldn't have even if she had wanted to. Regan's voice was beautiful. All thoughts of speaking left Cordelia's head when Regan began to sing. The song was calming and mystifying and Regan's voice only magnified those qualities in the song.  
  
Cordelia could feel her thoughts drifting with the song and she wondered how long it would be before Connor would see the truth. If he ever did. . .  
  
~~~  
  
Lorne hummed to himself as he walked up the street toward the hotel. Singing down at the karaoke place always managed to somehow make him feel better.  
  
Still humming along to the music in his head, he opened the gate to the patio and walked in. He stopped short a few steps in through when he heard a voice that was not his own singing the most beautiful song.  
  
Walking toward the voice brought Lorne the view of Regan singing the song, a look of longing on her face, in her eyes. Lorne struggled with an inner morality at this sight. He didn't have Regan's permission to read her and it would be like an invasion of privacy, but at the same time he could find out about her intentions and could see just how honest she's being.  
  
Safety outweighed integrity this time, and Lorne read Regan while he had the chance. He didn't know how long she would sing for. A moment's worth of concentration brought forth a lot of shocking information as well as a few affirmations. Lorne sensed that he could trust her and that what she had told them was true, but there was still something. . . Something he couldn't quite make sense out of.  
  
After his reading Lorne stepped forward so that Regan and Cordelia would know he was there. They didn't seem to notice him, however. They appeared to be very wrapped up in the song. So Lorne spoke up. "Good evening, all," he said cheerily.  
  
Regan's song abruptly quieted. "Lorne!" she said, sounding surprised. "You scared me half to death. Why didn't you make some noise or something?"  
  
"Sorry, kiwi. I got a little distracted," replied Lorne. There was a small pause in which the others knew Lorne wanted to say something more but was very hesitant about it. Finally he managed to make audible sounds. "Regan, I was wondering if I could ask you a question."  
  
"Sure, go ahead. What would you like to know?"  
  
"First, I'd like to ask if you know about my. . .talent."  
  
"Yeah, you can tell people's futures when they sing, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Lorne answered reluctantly.  
  
"Oh, Lorne!" exclaimed Cordelia excitedly. "Why don't you read Regan? Maybe that way there we can learn something about the coming battle. And it's not exactly as if hearing her would be painful for you."  
  
"That kind of leads in to something else I wanted to talk to you about," Lorne answered with regret in his voice, his gaze avoiding Regan's eyes. "I know that this is a breach of privacy, and I really struggled with this, but. . . I read you already when you were singing before. I'm sorry."  
  
Regan's face was blank for a moment, and then she smiled. "That's okay," she said. "You told me the truth and you didn't wait until everything came down around you into a pile of deceit and betrayal." Lorne and Cordelia exchanged a glance. "I think we may still be able to prevent that from happening if you tell me everything you. . . saw."  
  
"Well, that's where the subject becomes touchy," replied Lorne, a slight grimace on his face.  
  
"Why? What is it?" asked Regan.  
  
"Well, aside from a bunch of confused mush that didn't make any sense what- so-ever, I can tell you with nearly one hundred percent certainty that this creature you're talking about so much lately is on his way, most likely within the next two or three days. I could practically smell the evil when you were singing. . .There was something peculiar about it though."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"It didn't appear to have to face of a monster."  
  
"Looks can be deceiving," Regan responded nonchalantly. "Did you see what he did look like?"  
  
"No, it was more of an impression than anything else."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Is that everything you can tell us?" Cordelia asked. "I mean, nothing solid about looks or anything?"  
  
"I could tell you what he looked like if you really wanted to know," put in Regan. Cordelia made a face that that said she knew what Regan had said, but had momentarily forgotten. Regan continued speaking. "What I'm interested in is the completely non-demon related information that Lorne's holding back on."  
  
All eyes became focused on Lorne and he knew his expression portrayed his guilt. What he didn't know was how Regan knew he was holding back. But how was he supposed to word this? It was definitely a touchy subject, and Lorne didn't know Regan that well. Although he certainly knew her a lot better now, since the reading.  
  
"You and Connor. . "  
  
"What about me and Connor?" Regan asked, suddenly losing all enthusiasm.  
  
"That involves an intimate discussion that should really stay between the intimates," Lorne answered slowly.  
  
There was a brief moment of silence before Regan replied, "Oh," with mild surprise, surprise that was shared, but more strongly, with a wide-eyed Cordelia. 


End file.
